In this blog post, you’ll learn how to cook white beans at home and turn them into delicious recipes.
This recipe works with most varieties of white beans, including cannellini beans, navy beans, great northern beans, baby lima beans, and butter beans.
The beans you see in the pictures are dried Tuscan cannellini beans.
Table of Contents
Dietary Note: this recipe is suitable for a vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diet.
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How to cook dried white beans?
Have a quick visual scan of your dried white beans to ensure they are free of stones or dirt from the harvest.
Put the white beans in a colander and rinse them with water.
Then add them to a large bowl and cover with cold water for 4 inches or 10 cm.
Cover the bowl with a plate or cloth and soak for 8 to 24 hours.
Tip: Longer soaking times mean shorter cooking time. Soaking is essential because it makes the beans tender and easier to digest.
After 8 to 24 hours, the beans should have absorbed some water and doubled in volume.
Drain and rinse them well under running water.
Add them to a large pot and cover them with about 6 inches or 15 cm of water.
Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and let them simmer until tender. Depending on the size and time of harvest, this can take 45 minutes to 2.5 hours.
Add the salt 30 minutes into cooking.
Skim off the foam that forms on the surface of the water.
The beans are ready when you can easily press them between your thumb and index finger.
They should mash easily and have a creamy texture.
Storage
Refrigerator: Transfer the white beans and their cooking liquid to a sturdy, airtight container. Let them cool down at room temperature with the lid cracked open, then store them in the fridge for five days.
Freezer: Let the beans cool down in their liquid, drain them, and add them to a freezer-friendly bag. Freeze for three months.
Thawing: Defrost over several hours in the fridge or add to soups and stews frozen.
Recipes with white beans
What sets white beans apart from most other bean varieties is their thin skin and creamy texture.
For this reason, they are excellent for making spreads and adding to soups and stews.
You can even blend and use them as a creamer for pasta sauces, stews, soups, and many other recipes.
Recipes with white beans as a main ingredient:
Recipes with white beans as a supporting ingredient:
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How to Cook White Beans
Ingredients
- 2½ cups dried cannellini or another white bean variety. We recommend cooking a large batch and freeze the leftovers.
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 1 – 2 gallons water to cover the beans by 4 – 6 inches.
Instructions
- Have a quick visual scan of your dried white beans to ensure they are free of stones or dirt from the harvest.
- Rinse them with water, then add them to a large bowl and cover with cold water by 4 inches / 10 cm.Cover with a cloth and let them soak for 8 to 24 hours.Drain and rinse them under running water.
- Add them to a large pot and cover with water by about 6 inches or 15 cm.Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and let them simmer until tender. Depending on the size and time of harvest, this can take 45 minutes to 2.5 hours.Add the salt 30 minutes into cooking.Skim off the foam that forms on the surface of the water.
- The beans are ready when you can easily press them between your thumb and index finger.They should mash easily and have a creamy texture.
- See the chapter "Recipes with white beans" for inspiration on how to use them.
I especially like that you post nutritional info for your recipes! Thank you
Thank you for your message Adele. We are happy you find the nutritional information useful 🙂
Have a wonderful day.
Nico
Excellent!